Another World

by D. C. Gomez

  “What else did they say?” I asked, turning to face the riders.

  “They accused the knight of selling the girls to the dragon and setting the villages on fire to confuse people.” I could barely hear the last part because Julien spoke so softly.

  “That’s very convenient, don’t you think?” I asked Julien, only giving him a quick glance.

  “Too convenient,” he replied.

  “According to these people, when did Sir Bertrant commit all the kidnappings? The man has been drunk for three years. I’m sure we can trace his steps to every tavern in the kingdom.” I pointed to the right as we passed one of those disgraceful establishments.

  “You do have a point,” Julien concurred after a few minutes. “Sir Bertrant has done a lot of drinking in the past few years.”

  “Exactly. The man was a professional drunk. There was no way he conducted evil schemes on the side while maintaining that level of intoxication.” I knew Sir Bertrant was a skillful knight, but unless he had figured out how to time travel, I doubted he could have been in two places at once.

  “You have a great argument, but unfortunately, it will all come down to the word of Sir Bertrant against those witnesses.” Did Julien enjoy raining on my parade?

  “What about me?” Didn’t I have a say in any of this?

  “Sorry Madison, you are Sir Bertrant’s page.” Julien patted my back softly. “They are expecting you to defend him and take his side.”

  “Great.” I rubbed my head.

  We approached the gates to the castle. Time was running out for us. I hoped Lightning had been communicating everything he heard with Thunder and Sir Bertrant, but I doubted it. Their body language hadn’t changed, and this information would have caused a reaction from both. I rode in silence next to Julien, praying a great idea would hit me. At this point, I would take a horrible idea as well. We needed something before the Lord of this place went all Red Queen on us and gave orders to cut off our heads.

  The fascination I had for the enormous castle had evaporated. The inside of the castle might have been just as impressive as the outside, but I didn’t care anymore. We passed a gorgeous courtyard with flowers and a huge fountain on our way to the Lord. Sir Bertrant refused to yield his sword, so I followed suit. If we were going down in flames, it appeared we were going down fighting.

  I had seen movies of prisoners on death row walking to their deaths, escorted on all sides with an air of misery on their faces. That was not us. Sir Bertrant had his chest puffed out and shoulders back, acting like he owned the place. He had a swagger to his steps that radiated deadly confidence. He didn’t look at anyone as he walked by, but still, he kept his head held high.

  I gathered my courage and forced myself to stand tall. Nobody needed to know I felt terrified of marching to judgement day. If Sir Bertrant could move like the king of the castle, I could do the same. We strolled by another courtyard, this one filled with ladies in fancy dresses fanning themselves by another fountain. Sir Bertrant’s step faltered for half a second but he never stopped moving. I took a quick glance at the ladies and noticed one of them staring hard at Sir Bertrant, an appearance of surprise gracing her elegant features.

  If we ever make it out of here in one piece, I would ask him if that was the famous Maera. The lady was breathtaking, her curly red hair framing her sharp cheekbones and accentuating her perfectly shaped lips. Her beauty had a way of making other women feel small and insignificant when she stood next to them. If that was Maera, that awful Morien did not deserve her.

  My internal discussion on the mating decision of this group stopped abruptly when we arrived in front of a pair of double doors. One of the knights opened the door for us and let us in. I followed closely behind Sir Bertrant and watched the knights as they locked us in the room.

  I swallowed. “We are prisoners.” I made a statement instead of a question.

  “Of course we are,” Sir Bertrant told me as he started pacing the room.

  It was a pretty nice sized room, at least thirty by thirty feet. It felt like a waiting room, tastefully arranged with a few armchairs and a couple small tables. The space had no central focus, just a room made for people waiting, maybe mingling with others.

  “Madison, whatever happens, you let me do the talking. Is that clear?” Sir Bertrant ordered from the far side of the room.

  “This is not going to end up well for us, is it?” I asked.

  Sir Bertrant only squeezed the handle of his sword harder. Several long seconds passed before he spoke, facing the wall. “I don’t understand what is going?”

  “They think you have been stealing the girls and selling them to the dragon.” I dropped into one of the chairs and watched him.

  Unlike Sir Bertrant, pacing the room up and down was not my idea of fun. My legs still hurt from all the riding we’d been doing.

  “Who told you that?” Sir Bertrant asked, rushing to me side.

  “Julien did on the ride here. They have a couple of witnesses that reported back to the castle.” I swung my legs over the side of the armchair and started to inspect the cushions.

  “We are doomed.” Sir Bertrant sighed, then plopped into the chair next to me.

  “You can’t be serious?” I asked him, turning in the chair to face him.

  “Madison, I’m a joke here.” Sir Bertrant planted his elbows on his knees, holding his head in his hands. “Why would anyone believe me?”

  “Well, if you go in there with that attitude, nobody is ever going to listen to you,” I told him, throwing a cushion at him. “What happened to that tough-as-nails knight that marched into this room like the emperor of Rome?”

  “Where is Rome?” Sir Bertrant asked.

  “Rome is not the point.” I threw another cushion at him. “Why are you falling apart now when you were doing so great outside.”

  “You told me not to let them see me defeated. Maera was outside…” Sir Bertrant took a really long pause.

  “I knew it!” I exclaimed, proud of myself for figuring it out before he’d even told me.

  “What is she going to think?” Sir Bertrant asked me, with a haunted gaze.

  “Why do we care? She left you. You don’t owe her a thing, and that includes an explanation.” He needed to focus on the real problem.

  “You are right,” he said, almost in a whisper.

  “Yes, I am, now let’s focus. Is this like a trial?” I stood up in front of him.

  “Depends if we are held down or given a chance to talk. The first means we are in serious trouble,” Sir Bertrant explained.

  “But could we face our accusers?” I continued with my train of thought.

  “What are you getting at?” This time, I had Sir Bertrant’s attention.

  “Isn’t it convenient how they magically found witnesses who knew exactly everything going on?” That had been bothering me the whole ride to the castle.

  “Nobody knew that detail. Everyone thought the dragon stole the girls.” Sir Bertrant hopped to his feet, pacing the length of the room with a renewed sense of energy.

  Before we could discuss more, the doors to the chamber opened. Two guards came in wearing matching uniforms. Had we been downgraded to only needing guards and not knights?

  “Sir Bertrant, Lord Peru is ready to see you in the throne room,” one of the guards told Sir Bertrant, not looking at him.

  Both guards were fidgeting with their uniforms and holding their swords loosely at their side. Sir Bertrant made his way to the door and patted the guard on the shoulder.

  “Thank you, old friend,” Bertrant told the guard, who nodded in return. “Let’s go Madison, you have a Lord to meet.”

  I didn’t waste any time, jogging behind him to catch up. The swagger was back in Sir Bertrant’s step, his back straight as he moved forward, even glancing at the people in the courtyard with an arrogant smile on his face. The redhead I’d assumed to be Maera was nowhere to be found.

  “Ladies,” Sir Bertrant told the remaining g
roup as he walked past them.

  “We got this,” I muttered to Sir Bertrant.

  “I hope you’re right,” he replied under his breath.

  Sir Bertrant led the way towards the throne room, and the two guards followed closely behind us. The two guards resembled a pair of bodyguards instead of jailers. We took a few quick turns through the courtyard and arrived at a pair of impressively large doors. No guards were stationed at the doors and Sir Bertrant just pushed them both open like he owned the place.

  “Does everyone get to the throne room this way?” I asked Sir Bertrant as we entered, and my jaw fell open at the sight. The place was massive, with gold chandeliers hanging from an intricate mosaic ceiling. I would hate to have the job of lighting all those candles.

  “No, that is the private entrance for the members of the court,” Sir Bertrant told me as we made our way down the hall. “There is a foyer on the east side to allow passage to the public.”

  I scanned both right and left, trying to find the entrance. Inside the building, my cardinal directions weren’t doing very good. Sir Bertrant pointed to the left, shaking his head at me.

  A guard stood stationed in front of a set of ornate doors, matching the elegance of this entire place. The room had no furniture around, just two large thrones at the end of the hall on a pedestal. The hall could easily hold seven to eight hundred people, so it seemed empty with the twenty people standing in front of the thrones. An impressive man sat on the right throne. His biceps were bulging, while his tanned complexion complemented his black hair nicely.

  Sir Bertrant moved quickly down the hall, but he didn’t run, and when he made it in front of the throne, he took a knee. I followed him, not knowing what else to do.

  “Lord Peru, it is my honor to be here,” Sir Bertrant told the Lord and I just kept quiet. Who was he kidding? I didn’t want to be here.

  “Rise, my friend,” Lord Peru told Sir Bertrant and we both obeyed. “It’s been a long time and I regret we had to meet under these conditions. Disturbing news was brought to my attention that requires a resolution.”

  “My Lord, what type of news?” Sir Bertrant asked with his hands crossed in front of him, like an alter server at church.

  “You have been accused of being in business with a dragon,” Lord Peru told Sir Bertrant.

  From my peripheral vision, I took note of the other members of the group freezing in place. I held my breath, waiting for Sir Bertrant to reply.

  “That is most disturbing, my Lord.” Sir Bertrant stared around the room casually.

  “Indeed, my friend. What do you have to say about this?” Lord Peru leaned back in his throne and watched Sir Bertrant.

  “I always believed myself to be a talented man, but achieving that while keeping every tavern in the kingdom in business might be past my skills,” Sir Bertrant finished, showing off his pearly white teeth.

  It was hard not to laugh, and even some of the men cracked a smile. Morien stood on the left and he chastised his group for laughing. Sir William stood on the right with his team enjoying the show.

  “You do have a good point.” Lord Peru pointed his finger at Sir Bertrant. “You have made a few business owners very happy these past years.”

  “I hope so, my Lord, because I have been very drunk,” Sir Bertrant admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

  “You have, indeed,” Lord Peru said with a hint of a smile at the edge of his lips. “Still, Bertrant, these accusations are serious. We have witnesses that can attest to them.”

  “My Lord, I hope this is not too bold, but I would like to face my accusers,” Sir Bertrant said, squaring his shoulders.

  “My Lord, this is not conventional,” Sir Morien jumped in, rushing to the front.

  “You are correct, Morien, but this is not a conventional situation either,” Lord Peru told the knight, not meeting his eyes. “Would you all agree that if you were being charged with something this serious that you would request the same?”

  Ouch, that was a low blow from the Lord, but the group only nodded. I liked this man. He was smart, cunning, and didn’t mind playing to the egos of his knights. Good to know he still considered Sir Bertrant one of his own.

  “Sir William, please bring in the accusers.” Lord Peru pointed to a hallway on the right.

  Sir William exited the room. From behind the throne, a door opened, and a young man marched quickly to the throne. He kneeled before addressing the Lord, and then he approached Peru. The two spoke in hushed voices for a couple of minutes before the young man left the throne as quickly as he’d come in. Before I could ask Sir Bertrant for the guy’s identity, Sir William returned with three men. There was nothing special about the men, but they looked familiar.

  “My Lord,” the tallest of the men said and they all took a knee in front of the throne.

  “Please, recount your story for the group,” Lord Peru told the men.

  The three glanced in our direction and back at the Lord. Sir Bertrant focused on the three men like a hawk on his prey.

  “We are traders, and in our travels, we heard stories of missing girls around your kingdom.” the tallest man said, his voice sounding familiar, too. “We were wandering in the east, trading knives when—”

  “Those are the robbers from the road,” I screamed, interrupting the man. The man accusing us was none other than Knife Guy.

  “What did you say?” Lord Peru asked, turning all his attention on me.

  “Lord, sir, your highness,” I stumbled over my words. “They attacked us.”

  “You both were attacked?” Lord Peru asked, watching both Sir Bertrant and me.

  “Well, I was attacked, and Sir Bertrant rescued me,” I clarified, and the Lord nodded back in agreement. I could understand the idea of Sir Bertrant being attacked hard to imagine. “But those three did it.”

  “How convenient,” Sir Morien announced. “You are facing charges and you are trying to turn it around by having your page speak for you. Disgraceful.”

  “Madison, quiet,” Sir Bertrant told me.

  “You know I’m right.” I bit my lip and crossed my arms. I wasn’t going crazy.

  “My Lord, we don’t know what that ratchet page is talking about,” Knife Guy told Lord Peru.

  “Ratchet? I’ll show you ratchet you two-timing thug.” I made my way in their direction when Sir Bertrant grabbed my collar and held me back.

  “Your new page is a fiery one,” Lord Peru told Sir Bertrant, laughing at me. “Unfortunately, we are now at an impasse.”

  “At an impasse? Are you kidding me?” I needed to stop letting my inside voice out because people were starting to looked at me with murderous stares.

  “My Lord, may I be of service?” a soft voice said from behind us.

  The entire group turned around to face a beautiful lady with thick, dark hair. The young lady made her way down the hall cautiously, holding her large gown. She was stunning but I wished she would move a little faster.

  “Here she is. I was told you needed to speak with us, Lady Celina. It is a pleasure to see you well again,” Lord Peru told the girl as she made her way towards the throne.

  “Who is she?” I asked Sir Bertrant, trying not to be obvious.

  “Last time I saw her, she was a child, but if I’m not mistaken, she is Sir Jean’s niece,” Sir Bertrant whispered back.

  Lady Celina made her way to the throne and curtsied to the Lord. Compared to her uncle, Lady Celina appeared like a fragile doll made of porcelain.

  “Sir Bertrant was not responsible for those kidnappings, but those three over there were.” She pointed at the three men with vengeance in her stare.

  “Wow!” I looked around at the robbers.

  “Ridiculous,” Morien shouted. “Are you two are going to corroborate that story?” The last part he addressed to Sir Bertrant and me.

  “They are definitely thieves and criminals, but we cannot confirm or deny the rest.” Sir Bertrant could have been a politician with his smooth repli
es.

  “Explain yourself Lady Celina,” Morien snarled at her.

  “My niece would know the truth of this situation my Lord, since she was one of the girls taken,” Sir Jean announced as he walked around the throne.

  Sir Jean knew how to make an entrance. You could have heard a pin drop in the hall as everyone waited. Sir Jean knelt next to his niece. Even Morien was speechless.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sir Bertrant spoke first.

  “Why do you think I didn’t discourage you from going? They kidnapped her on her way to my brother. We kept it a secret, even while we searched the area.” Sir Jean slowly stood up to face Sir Bertrant.

  “If the dragon really had her, how did you manage to get her back?” Morien asked.

  “I didn’t do anything,” Sir Bertrant answered.

  “What do you mean?” Lord Peru asked from his throne.

  “The dragon didn’t negotiate with Sir Bertrant, but with her.” Lady Celine pointed at me.

  I wanted to shrink into nothingness. My stomach turned and sweat ran down my back. I had twenty pairs of eyes turned towards me.

  “Her? Your page is a girl?” Morien busted out laughing.

  “Watch it Morien. I will rip your throat out if you say anything else about Madison.” Sir Bertrant drew out his sword and pointed it at Morien.

  The laugher stopped and the tension in the room escalated. Each knight held their swords at the ready. I hoped Lord Peru had a really good cleaning crew because he was about to have blood splattered all over his stain-glassed windows.

  “Enough!” Lord Peru’s voiced boomed through the hall. “It seems this situation is a lot more complicated than we imagined. Sir William, please escort this gentleman to a chamber for questioning.”

  “My Lord, they are lying,” screamed Knife Guy.

  “Are you accusing a lady of the kingdom of lying and faking her own disappearance?” Sir Jean asked, ready to pounce on the man.

  “Sir William,” Lord Peru repeated, and Sir William took the three men away without a word.

  “Sir Jean, please escort Sir Bertrant and his page back to the waiting chambers. I need a word in private with Lady Celina.” With a wave of his hand, everyone was dismissed.